An older adult, a caregiver, or an individual with dietary needs specific to a health condition. Plus, no cooking is required. Since everyone has different needs, I chose meal delivery services that meet a variety of dietary preferences.

I also analyzed kid-friendly options with family portion sizes, as well as options for single people who may not want leftovers or extra food going to waste. The number of meal options on each weekly menu also impacted this rating.

The environmental impact of using a meal delivery service also serves as an important factor in the decision-making process.

Pre-portioned and packaged ingredients can increase the amount of plastic waste in the environment. All companies featured except for Mom's Meals demonstrate a commitment to limiting package waste by providing recyclable packaging materials and reusable ice packs.

Budget and shipping costs were also considered, with the lowest budgets per serving a major factor. Though Mom's Meals has higher shipping fees and may not focus on plastic waste reduction like other meal delivery services, it serves a niche audience that other services do not, making it a valuable option for those living with health conditions that need specifics diet to thrive.

A meal delivery service is a subscription-based service that delivers a box of fresh ingredients with pre-portioned amounts for your preselected recipes. Cook-from-a-kit boxes, or meal-kit delivery services, are substitutes for grocery shopping, meal planning, and searching for recipes.

Also: The best meal kit delivery services. Some meal delivery services provide ready-to-eat meals that can be heated in the microwave or oven or thawed and enjoyed, like smoothies and bowls. You can also find Home Chef meals at your local Kroger grocery. When you use a meal delivery service, the service sources ingredients and sends them to you prepackaged and ready to cook.

You can use the provider's website to select the meals you want. Many places rotate menus, allowing you to try new dishes every week while enjoying your favorites. Alternatively, you can use a meal delivery service that prepares meals, so all you have to do at home is heat them up. Once you select your meal choices, the delivery service packages ingredients and ships them to your door.

You can refrigerate or freeze the ingredients until you're ready to prepare the meal. Or, in the case of Home Chef, you can stop by your local Kroger for a quick dinner. Right now, Dinnerly is the cheapest meal delivery service. However, keep in mind each service offers different dietary menus. Therefore, you want to prioritize your needs first, as it can often be worth the extra dollar or two per serving if you have specific dietary requirements.

Many meal delivery services are available, and it may be worth considering alternatives, depending on your budget and dietary preferences. Here are a few more choices:. Why you can trust ZDNET : ZDNET independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice.

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Our process. Home Health Nutrition. The best meal delivery services offer healthy, pre-portioned meals and ingredients to make cooking your next meal hassle-free. meal kit for every kind of cook and non-cook.

Written by Mandy Sleight, Contributor April 20, at a. PT Reviewed by Elyse Betters Picaro ; Emery Wright ; Sean Jackson and Taylor Clemons. Dinnerly Best cheap meal delivery service overall.

View now View at Dinnerly. EveryPlate Best value meal delivery service. View now View at EveryPlate. Daily Harvest Best cheap meal delivery service for organic and plant-based diets.

Daily Harvest. View now View at Daily Harvest. Home Chef Best cheap meal delivery service for customization. Home Chef. View now View at Home Chef. Mom's Meals Best cheap meal delivery service for diet-dependent health conditions. Mom's Meals.

View now View at Mom's Meals. Pros Wide range of dietary preferences Six fresh ingredients per recipe Market feature for individual add-ons Six meals per week option 28 recipe options per week. Cons Doesn't include printed recipe cards Market features cost extra No vegetarian options for the 6-meal weekly plan.

More Details. Also: Get the most out of your groceries: How to prevent food waste Dinnerly creates a recipe meal plan menu each week so you can order your favorites.

View now at Dinnerly View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store. more buying choices. Pros Shop by meal preferences Easy and quick meal assembly Family-friendly options. Cons It doesn't cater to special diets like Keto, gluten-free, or low-carb Five meals per week limit Limited weekly menu.

View now at EveryPlate View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store. Pros Variety of options Bulk discount pricing Free shipping. Cons Slightly expensive Not family-friendly Some items might not be sufficient enough for a meal. View now at Daily Harvest View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store.

Pros Highly customizable A la carte items for breakfast, snacks, desserts, etc. Available to buy at Kroger. Also: The best electric smokers You can search for meal recipes based on your cooking preference, such as oven-ready, microwaveable, grill-ready, culinary, and minute meal kits for those days you just need a quick dinner.

View now at Home Chef View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store. Pros Caters to health conditions Auto-ship not required No cooking required--just heat and enjoy. Cons Paleo and Keto diets not included Limited meal options High shipping fee. View now at Mom's Meals. What is the best cheapest meal delivery service?

Which is the right best cheap meal delivery service for you? Choose this cheap meal delivery service… If you want or are… Dinnerly Simple and easy recipes with just a few ingredients and a wide variety of dietary preferences.

EveryPlate Kid-friendly meals and eco-friendly packaging with easy assembly for busy parents. Daily Harvest A single person who wants simple and fast plant-based meals and snacks with free shipping. Home Chef To spend a bit more money and time on customizable meals.

Mom's Meals An older adult, a caregiver, or an individual with dietary needs specific to a health condition. How did we choose these best cheap meal delivery services? To choose the best cheap meal delivery services, I compared several factors, including: Dietary preferences Budget Shipping costs Packaging Amount of menu options Prep and cook time Types of meals available Discounts and promotions Since everyone has different needs, I chose meal delivery services that meet a variety of dietary preferences.

What is a meal delivery service? Also: The best meal kit delivery services Some meal delivery services provide ready-to-eat meals that can be heated in the microwave or oven or thawed and enjoyed, like smoothies and bowls.

I sometimes eat meat the cuts of beef and pork I received were tasty, fresh, and high-quality but was happy to see plenty of vegetarian and plant-based options to choose from, like black bean and corn tacos and bulgar grain bowls.

My only caveat is that there was a lot of sameness to many of the meals I tried—repeat ingredients or the same seasonings used across disparate international cuisines. Still, portions were large, leftovers were plentiful, and I really enjoyed the convenience of knowing dinner was taken care of.

Hello Fresh. Hungryroot is essentially a virtual grocery store with hundreds of recipes built around the food on its digital shelves. After using Hungryroot for half a year, I eventually grew bored of the recipes, which were basically permutations of a core set of foods and ingredients—the same sesame ginger sauce applied to different styles of bowls and salads, for instance.

But I became deeply attached to several grocery items, such as the prepackaged garlicky herb chickpea duo , a dish I loved mixing into quinoa or farro for a quick and refreshing lunch.

Even the best home cooks can get a little tired of making dinner post holiday cooking season. If you want to eat meals that are nutrient-dense but dead easy to prepare, Factor is probably the way to go.

Factor is a little like a fancier, dietitian-approved TV dinner. Here are the steps: Take the meal tray out of its paper sleeve, poke holes in its plastic lid to let air out, and pop the tray in the microwave for two minutes.

The carnivorous dishes became a little repetitive, to be frank: Many of them consist of a small slab of meat sitting on a bed of some purée, accompanied by a couple dollops of different greens.

Not bad for a ponzu chili steak bowl with charred snap peas and ginger rice. I also appreciated the relatively low level of packaging with this kit, and the fact that there were plenty of comfort foods and vegetarian options.

That said, healthy eating is not necessarily the name of this game: a dish of scampi-style scallop linguine included four tablespoons of butter for two portions and no vegetables save for a single shallot.

Territory Foods, another brand that solely provides premade meals, began in as a meal delivery service targeted at the cult of Paleo adherents. Because of that structure, menu options vary widely across locations and change frequently, though everything is always free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars.

Choose your delivery schedule once or twice weekly and number of meals at least four per week. Each meal is priced individually, and you can skip weeks without penalty as often as you need to. I like how many filtering options there are when choosing dishes: customers can limit by diet Paleo, of course, but also vegan, vegetarian, keto, Whole30, low fat, and more or even specific macro amounts.

Of all the different meals, miso pesto ramen with shrimp was my mainstay—the shrimp were large and tender, and the brown rice-and-millet ramen was delicious both hot and straight from the fridge.

I also found myself returning to the Springbone chicken and rice , which came close to the halal cart I used to frequent near my office. The best part about all of them? Meals arrive in an insulated cardboard box. Except for the included ice packs, all the packaging is recyclable; the Paleolithic people would be proud.

All the dishes are vegetarian, and I often use them as a base for my dinners or add a quick-cooking veggie—like frozen peas and carrots to their upma —to call it a day. You could also add meat. My favorite meal was the dal makhani. It's made from a short list of simple ingredients, has all the creamy richness you'd expect from the dish, and it takes seven minutes to prepare as opposed to overnight in the slow cooker.

I ate this with a dollop of yogurt, chopped cilantro, and premade rotis. I also appreciate that Cumin Club offers dishes from distinct places of origin, like Kolkata and Chennai—both regions that represent my cultural identity but that often get overlooked when it comes to Indian food in the US.

The Cumin Club. All of the dishes I tried were flavorful and well-seasoned, and I enjoyed the unmatched diversity of ingredients.

Not to mention, all of the meals are quick and easy. I appreciated that the sauces and dressings were premade and actually tasted good and that the protein choices for the meals were customizable. For example, when ordering the BBQ meatloaf with garlicky greens and potatoes , you can select either ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey.

For other meals, you can even choose your preferred cut of steak or chicken. They also offer weekly fully prepared, microwave-ready meals I can vouch for the turkey chili mac with cheddar.

Go directly to our top picks to order your weekly meals: Sign up for Purple Carrot , or skip ahead to read our review. Sign up for Marley Spoon , or skip ahead to read our review.

Sign up for Home Chef , or skip ahead to read our review. Sign up for Gobble , or skip ahead to read our review. Sign up for Dinnerly , or skip ahead to read our review. Sign up for Green Chef , or skip ahead to read our review. Shop at Purple Carrot. Shop at Home Chef. Shop at Marley Spoon. Shop at Gobble.

Shop at Dinnerly. Shop at Green Chef. Shop at CookUnity. Shop at Hello Fresh. Shop at Hungryroot. Shop at Factor. Shop at EveryPlate.

Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing

Affordable Meal Solutions - HelloFresh Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing

Expert Verified by Frieda Johnson, CNC. We test and review fitness products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we may earn a commission. Read our disclosures. The best meal delivery services are convenient for families and households wanting to save time on grocery shopping or by having oven-ready meals with minimal preparation time.

Also, these services can provide high-quality ingredients along with options for those with specific dietary needs or restrictions. Still, some of these services can be expensive. Read on to see our favorite affordable meal delivery services.

Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. Good for: People looking for an inexpensive meal kit service with quality ingredients.

Skip the food shopping and the chopping—Dinnerly is a meal kit service that sends you fresh ingredients right to your door with most of the food preparation already done.

Our pick for best overall cheapest meal delivery service goes to Dinnerly. Additionally, Dinnerly provides a market where you can purchase premade meals and food groceries, as well. Within that time frame, meals rotated to new selections already.

The meal kits were a hit for Nicole, who tried the turkey taquitos and pastrami-crusted steak with an everything bagel potato; they were both delicious to her. It has better ingredient quality and definitely less sodium than a TV dinner, but with very similar taste vibes. Our expert dietitian Perry Nix, RD, likes that Dinnerly provides affordable meals to avoid going out to eat, which improves our diet as well as saving money.

Good for: Those wanting an inexpensive prepared meal delivery with organic ingredients. Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal delivery service that has a variety of meal plans to choose from. In addition, you can select exact meals from their A la carte section. I was surprised! What stood out to dietitian Perry Nix was the protein amounts provided in each prepared meal.

Additionally, the one issue Kate ran into was that it was a hassle to cancel her meal subscription. She actually had to call customer service…who does that anymore? Customers can choose between 10 and 21 weekly healthy meals geared toward weight loss.

You can eat meals after just microwaving them for a few minutes. Meal plans include options for specific diets, like keto, mediterranean, plant-based, or low carb diets. RELATED: Best Weight Loss Programs.

Unfortunately, eating too few calories for a prolonged time can actually damage your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals. They provide six different plans, including plant-based, pescatarian, and quick and easy meals.

Additionally, 40 different recipes are available each week, and proteins and sides can be swapped out as needed. The subscription is flexible, as you can skip a week, pause, or cancel your account at any time. Meal kits include ingredients and recipe cards, and you prep and cook your meals for two people or four.

Our product tester, Ashley Little, has used HelloFresh for several years, and enjoys the ease of ordering and customizing your weekly meals. There is quite a bit of customization, an aspect that appealed to dietitian Perry Nix, RD, as well, particularly for family-friendly options.

Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods. Still, with its low price and discounts, this meal service is worth a shot. Good for: Meal kits that have variety up to par with grocery shopping.

Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it.

There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.

This feels less like a meal service and more like grocery shopping, according to GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier, who tested out Hungryroot. The ease of prep was fantastic for a meal kit service, according to Kate. But it was so easy—not a lot of chopping, because everything is prepackaged and ready to throw in a skillet.

There is an abundance of variety with Hungryroot, particularly for those with dietary restrictions. Also, Kate was a bit overwhelmed by the initial quiz at the start—asking lots of questions before you even get to see the meal options.

Nevertheless, this is a solid service that provides high-quality ingredients for a relatively inexpensive price. Mosaic is a frozen meal delivery service that offers plant-based options for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. Mosaic has a wide selection of frozen veggie bowls, family meals, pizzas, smoothies, soups, and oat bowls.

Dishes vary from smoothies to pizzas and flatbreads, and even soups and oat bowls. Family-friendly meals were also available, which dietitian Perry Nix, RD, enjoyed. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism.

Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U. RELATED: Plant-Based Protein Powder Benefits. Good for: Families needing meal kits with options for all family members.

Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery service that sends you everything you need for a fun, tasty meal right to your door. Blue Apron is our favorite budget-friendly meal delivery service for families.

With wellness and veggie plant-based options available in their preferences, Blue Apron also provides family-friendly options for kid-friendly meals, as well as a fast and easy quick prep option. RELATED: Blue Apron Vs HelloFresh Vs Home Chef. Our tester, Sarah Carlton, enjoys the meal kits overall, although some meals shine brighter than others.

On the other hand, the Salmon was packed with flavor and so good. The quality of the ingredients impressed Perry Nix, RD.

These ingredient standards support the environment, farmers, and animal welfare. A fault that Perry notes is that Blue Apron is fairly limited when it comes to dietary preferences. RELATED: Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss. There are no subscriptions, you can order at the frequency to like. Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz.

Clean Eatz allows you to pick six meals from their meal plans—including keto, high-protein, and gluten-free plans—and then a quantity of these six-meal packs. Only being able to choose six meals at a time with limited variety might not be what some are looking for; still, with a decent amount of protein in each meal and delicious ingredients, Clean Eatz provides good value at a pretty low price.

Busy parents will rejoice in picker-eater approved menu items with hidden vegetables and wholesome ingredients from Little Spoon, a kid-specific meal delivery service.

Little Spoon has meal options for babies who are not yet eating solid foods, little ones moving to bite-size pieces, toddlers eating finger foods, and smoothies for on-the-go snacks. Subscription plans offer biweekly delivery cadence that can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time.

For the picky eaters in your household, we suggest Little Spoon. Providing meals for all age ranges, from infants to toddlers to young kids, Little Spoon exposes kids to a variety of flavors and ingredients at a young age.

Dietitian Perry Nix, RD, speaks on the importance of diversifying the foods a child is exposed to early on. Senior editor and certified nutrition coach Nicole Davis tested out these meals directly with the source: her two oldest children.

The kids, being moderately picky in their foods, had mixed reactions to some meals. Whether or not Little Spoon is right for you and your children will mostly depend on how your children like it.

However, with organic ingredients that are non-GMO, this is a great meal service for kids. With nearly every service, the more meals your order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal.

All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that's certainly not enough to convince me. To settle on this list of the best meal delivery service I tried as many as we could get our hands on, noting everything about them from freshness and flavor to ordering, packaging and delivery.

Testing meal kits for CNET means rolling up our sleeves and cooking at least one week's worth of meals from each service, often more. How each meal kit tastes, how easy it was to prepare and the portion sizes are all considered. We also evaluate the website and how easy it is to navigate along with determining how easy it is to pause, cancel or change your order at any given time.

To learn more, we have an in-depth look at how we test meal kits here at CNET. To test each meal delivery service, we tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings and took note of the ordering process, recipe variety and information available.

I reheated meals according to the instructions. If there were none, I heated them the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in my air fryer. Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer.

Not all meal kits are created equally. Some services are much better depending on your dietary preferences, budget and culinary skill level. If you're looking to cut some of the legwork out of dinner, meal kits and prepared meal services are definitely worth it. The most budget-friendly services cost about the same as buying all the groceries you'd need to make the same meal, with the convenience of having all the ingredients or a box of fully prepared meals sent to your home each week.

That's definitely cheaper than eating out or getting restaurant food delivered, and about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals.

In a previous story, we crunched the numbers to find out how much meal kits cost versus buying the same groceries.

In reviews and best lists, Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal kit services for Fresh N Lean and Factor are some of the most popular options for prepared meal subscriptions. Wellness Nutrition.

Best Meal Delivery Services of We've tested and reviewed more than two dozen meal delivery services. Written by David Watsky.

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement.

David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon.

Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service?

Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service. How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean.

Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service. See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes. See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery. See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families.

See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service. See at Green Chef. Best for organic meal kits.

See at EveryPlate. Cheapest meal kit service. See at Home Chef. Best meal kits for eating keto. FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Showing 11 of 11 Results. Show less. Pros Steak and seafood options are included in a standard meal plan Affordable if you choose more than two recipes per week.

Cons Fewer recipe options than other services Doesn't allow for much customization. Type Meal kit. Recipes per week Good for Vegetarian, pescatarian, diabetes-friendly, low-calorie, picky eaters, quick meals.

Diet types: Vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, wellness, family-friendly, fast and easy. See at Blue Apron Best for meal kits Blue Apron. Show expert take Show less.

Editors' choice. Pros Most of the food we tried was good or great Healthy options to service many eating plans. Cons On the pricey side of average No family-sized meals making it expensive to feed a crew.

Type Prepared meal. Meal options per week Good for Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein. Full Review Read full review.

See at Fresh N' Lean Best prepared meal delivery service Fresh N Lean. Pros Quality ingredients including mostly organic meats and produce Great for those avoiding gluten or empty carbs No subscription required.

Cons No real discount for ordering a larger volume of meals The website isn't the best. Good for Healthy, paleo, keto, low-calorie, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole30, high protein.

See at Pete's Paleo Best for gluten-free meal delivery service Pete's Real Food. Pros Tons of healthy menu options per week Healthy food to service most diets and nutrition plans. Cons Expensive if you only choose a few meals per week Quality was somewhat inconsistent.

Good for Gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, vegan, low calorie, low carb, plant-based. See at CookUnity Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes CookUnity. Pros Nearly all the meals I tried were good or better Interesting use of global recipes and flavors Affordable, especially for the family plan.

Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. See at Mosaic Foods Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery Mosaic Foods. Pros More than 50 weekly recipes Good for keeping to specific diets or eating plans.

Good for Vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, Whole30, families, picky eaters. See at HelloFresh Best meal delivery service for families HelloFresh. Good for Healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, paleo, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole See at Factor Best meal delivery service for weight loss Factor.

Pros Interesting and filling vegan recipes Extremely fresh and high-quality ingredients. Cons Limited to eight recipes per week Expensive. Recipes per week 8. Good for Vegan, vegetarian. See at Purple Carrot Best plant-based meal kit service Purple Carrot.

Pros Healthy recipes and mostly organic ingredients Allows you to swap the protein in certain recipes. Cons On the expensive side Premium recipes incur major upcharges. Good for Organic, healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, gourmet.

See at Green Chef Best for organic meal kits Green Chef. Pros The most affordable meal kit service Most recipes were either good or better Not a ton of plastic waste.

Cons Some produce was past its prime Recipes are somewhat basic Very little customization allowed. Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy. See at EveryPlate Cheapest meal kit service EveryPlate.

Pros Good selection of keto-friendly meal kits Recipes are simple and fast Budget-friendly if you choose a larger plan.

Cons Some recipes were clunky and bland Too much plastic used in packaging. Good for Keto, low-carb, healthy, families, picky eaters, low-calorie, vegetarian. See at Home Chef Best meal kits for eating keto Home Chef.

Meal kit versus prepared meal delivery The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat. Cost After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget.

Sunbasket : This service has high-end meal kits, but the bloated cost keeps it off our list. While the quality is high, the prices are too. BistroMD : These meals are intended to promote weight loss, but the cost is high, and the flavors aren't good enough to justify the price.

Affordable Meal Solutions - HelloFresh Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing

Dinnerly creates a recipe meal plan menu each week so you can order your favorites. Meals are labeled for dietary preferences so that you can choose from options like low-carb, kid-friendly, dairy-free, spicy, one-pot meal, no added gluten, vegetarian, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Dinnerly keeps prices low by using digital recipe cards, simple packaging, and minimal ingredients in each dish, and the brand cuts costs by not heavily marketing its services.

After making your weekly meal selection, check out the Market feature, which gives you the option to include smoothies, sides, desserts, or extra protein sources in your shipment.

Everything except the gel inside the ice pack is recyclable, though not all packaging material can be recycled through the curbside collection if your recycle center won't pick up 1 and 4 plastics.

When you choose the EveryPlate meal delivery service, you can customize your meal plan kit based on the following preference categories:. EveryPlate creates a meal plan with 17 recipes to choose from each week. Pick your preferred meals, add them to your cart, and you're on your way to getting pre-portioned meals shipped right to your door.

Once you get the box, each recipe takes just six steps to cook. EveryPlate keeps its pricing low by focusing on affordable ingredients and responsible packaging. You can cut open gel ice packs to throw away the gel and either recycle the pack or reuse it for personal use.

Daily Harvest is a great option for someone looking for a cheap meal delivery service offering organic, plant-based meals. Daily Harvest's pricing is different from other meal delivery services.

Choose from over 80 options offered by Daily Harvest, from lattes and snacks to bowls and flatbreads. Daily Harvest even has plant-based milk and ice cream. All items arrive in dry ice and recyclable packaging. Frozen items can be thawed and enjoyed or microwaved, depending on which items you choose.

You can change preferences inside your Daily Harvest account at any time until 6 p. ET on Sunday, prior to your next scheduled shipment.

Home Chef may be the best choice for you if you like to customize your meal delivery services. Dietary preferences are limited to calorie or carb-conscious, and you can choose to avoid certain foods, such as pork, beef, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, peanuts, and poultry.

You can also add meals and edit serving sizes for each recipe when setting up your weekly meal delivery. When you're selecting meals for the week, certain recipes will have a "Customize It" button underneath. Click and choose your preferred protein, which is carefully selected to complement each recipe.

You can also bundle and save with breakfast or salad bundles or choose extras like breakfast, dessert, bread, snacks, or protein packs. Also: The best electric smokers. You can search for meal recipes based on your cooking preference, such as oven-ready, microwaveable, grill-ready, culinary, and minute meal kits for those days you just need a quick dinner.

You can also purchase home Chef meals from Kroger grocery stores. Mom's Meals is a company focused on serving nutritious meals for seniors and those who have health conditions that require a specific diet, offering almost 60 meal choices.

Those covered by Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Long-Term Services and Supports, and the Older Americans Act may be eligible for Mom's Meals through insurance. Mom's Meals delivery service offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and it's easy to choose based on various health conditions.

Each meal comes pre-made, can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, and is easy to heat in the microwave. Meals can also be frozen, though be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator before heating. I chose Dinnerly as the best cheap meal delivery service because it offers the cheapest per-serving price and uses only six ingredients in a five-step process.

All you have to do is check out the meal tags to make choosing your weekly plan faster and easier. Then sit back and wait for your pre-portioned ingredients to arrive at your door. I've broken down my favorite cheap meal delivery services below based on price, meal choices, and dietary preferences.

Choosing the right best cheap meal delivery service for you comes down to dietary preferences, budget, and time. If your diet is vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based, it makes sense to find a meal delivery service that caters to your specific diet.

If you're feeding a family and need kid-friendly meals, a meal delivery service focusing on family meals may work best. If prep and cook time are your biggest factor, Dinnerly may be an ideal option for fast meals, especially compared to Home Chef meals, which usually take longer to assemble.

An older adult, a caregiver, or an individual with dietary needs specific to a health condition. Plus, no cooking is required. Since everyone has different needs, I chose meal delivery services that meet a variety of dietary preferences. I also analyzed kid-friendly options with family portion sizes, as well as options for single people who may not want leftovers or extra food going to waste.

The number of meal options on each weekly menu also impacted this rating. The environmental impact of using a meal delivery service also serves as an important factor in the decision-making process. Pre-portioned and packaged ingredients can increase the amount of plastic waste in the environment.

All companies featured except for Mom's Meals demonstrate a commitment to limiting package waste by providing recyclable packaging materials and reusable ice packs.

Budget and shipping costs were also considered, with the lowest budgets per serving a major factor. Though Mom's Meals has higher shipping fees and may not focus on plastic waste reduction like other meal delivery services, it serves a niche audience that other services do not, making it a valuable option for those living with health conditions that need specifics diet to thrive.

A meal delivery service is a subscription-based service that delivers a box of fresh ingredients with pre-portioned amounts for your preselected recipes. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. Meal delivery services are a great option for feeding families big and small.

They offer the perfect solution when you're too busy to grocery shop, especially when you're on a budget. It can take hours to create a budget, compare grocery sales, and complete weekly shopping hauls followed by a trek home to organize it in your kitchen. And you still need to take to prep, chop and assemble each meal.

Why spend hours each week when you could spend minutes picking out a meal plan instead? Meal delivery services drop off pre-measured ingredients on your doorstep, so you can make dinner in record time.

Some meal delivery services even provide ready-to-cook meals, so all you have to do is heat them up. Best of all, you can find many dietary options, such as Keto, vegetarian, and Mediterranean diets. Also: The best smart kitchen tools.

I compared dozens of meal delivery services to bring you the 5 best budget-friendly meal delivery services on the market. Each subscription-based meal delivery service gives you the freedom to pause or cancel your subscription at any time.

Also: The best food and drink subscriptions. If you're looking for simple, fast, and delicious meals, consider the Dinnerly meal delivery service. Each Dinnerly recipe has only six ingredients, allowing even the most recipe-challenged person the ability to make an impressive meal. Also: Get the most out of your groceries: How to prevent food waste.

Dinnerly creates a recipe meal plan menu each week so you can order your favorites. Meals are labeled for dietary preferences so that you can choose from options like low-carb, kid-friendly, dairy-free, spicy, one-pot meal, no added gluten, vegetarian, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Dinnerly keeps prices low by using digital recipe cards, simple packaging, and minimal ingredients in each dish, and the brand cuts costs by not heavily marketing its services. After making your weekly meal selection, check out the Market feature, which gives you the option to include smoothies, sides, desserts, or extra protein sources in your shipment.

Everything except the gel inside the ice pack is recyclable, though not all packaging material can be recycled through the curbside collection if your recycle center won't pick up 1 and 4 plastics.

When you choose the EveryPlate meal delivery service, you can customize your meal plan kit based on the following preference categories:. EveryPlate creates a meal plan with 17 recipes to choose from each week. Pick your preferred meals, add them to your cart, and you're on your way to getting pre-portioned meals shipped right to your door.

Once you get the box, each recipe takes just six steps to cook. EveryPlate keeps its pricing low by focusing on affordable ingredients and responsible packaging. You can cut open gel ice packs to throw away the gel and either recycle the pack or reuse it for personal use.

Daily Harvest is a great option for someone looking for a cheap meal delivery service offering organic, plant-based meals. Daily Harvest's pricing is different from other meal delivery services. Choose from over 80 options offered by Daily Harvest, from lattes and snacks to bowls and flatbreads.

Daily Harvest even has plant-based milk and ice cream. All items arrive in dry ice and recyclable packaging. Frozen items can be thawed and enjoyed or microwaved, depending on which items you choose.

You can change preferences inside your Daily Harvest account at any time until 6 p. ET on Sunday, prior to your next scheduled shipment. Home Chef may be the best choice for you if you like to customize your meal delivery services.

Dietary preferences are limited to calorie or carb-conscious, and you can choose to avoid certain foods, such as pork, beef, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, peanuts, and poultry. You can also add meals and edit serving sizes for each recipe when setting up your weekly meal delivery.

When you're selecting meals for the week, certain recipes will have a "Customize It" button underneath. Click and choose your preferred protein, which is carefully selected to complement each recipe.

You can also bundle and save with breakfast or salad bundles or choose extras like breakfast, dessert, bread, snacks, or protein packs. Also: The best electric smokers. You can search for meal recipes based on your cooking preference, such as oven-ready, microwaveable, grill-ready, culinary, and minute meal kits for those days you just need a quick dinner.

You can also purchase home Chef meals from Kroger grocery stores. Mom's Meals is a company focused on serving nutritious meals for seniors and those who have health conditions that require a specific diet, offering almost 60 meal choices.

Those covered by Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Long-Term Services and Supports, and the Older Americans Act may be eligible for Mom's Meals through insurance.

Mom's Meals delivery service offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and it's easy to choose based on various health conditions. Each meal comes pre-made, can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, and is easy to heat in the microwave.

Meals can also be frozen, though be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator before heating. I chose Dinnerly as the best cheap meal delivery service because it offers the cheapest per-serving price and uses only six ingredients in a five-step process.

All you have to do is check out the meal tags to make choosing your weekly plan faster and easier. Then sit back and wait for your pre-portioned ingredients to arrive at your door. Everything cooks in the same pot for a mess-free and, most importantly, quick weeknight dinner.

It's about to be one of your new favorites. Juicy pork tenderloin seriously deserves its own spotlight. We keep the seasoning simple here: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder. If you want another flavor profile, the world is your oyster: oregano and Italian seasoning, ranch seasoning, taco seasoning , or even just salt and black pepper will do.

Get the Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin recipe. Is there anything better than a one-skillet meal? It all comes together in just 40 minutes with minimal prep too!

Get the Mexican Beef 'N Rice Skillet recipe. We love a classic lasagna , but it can be a lot of work. This easy skillet version instead tosses the cooked noodles in an oniony marinara sauce, dollops them with pesto , and tops them with ample slices of fresh mozzarella and a shower of grated Parmesan.

Get the Tricolore Skillet Lasagna recipe. Coated in crispy golden brown bread crumbs and drizzled with a luscious mushroom gravy, this vegetarian spin on a meaty classic will delight meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Get the Cabbage Schnitzel recipe. If there's one thing we find magical about Instant Pots, it's how quickly and perfectly they cook chicken and rice.

The rice is the perfect texture and the chicken is wildly tender. Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. She loves anything vegan , foods masquerading as other foods hello, cauliflower , and a well-used Oxford comma.

Tequila-Lime Chicken Thighs. Shrimp Creole. Chicken Katsu. Air Fryer Beef Empanadas. Beef Empanadas. Shrimp Scampi. Search Subscribe. sign in. Mardi Gras Cocktails Easy Chicken Dinners Valentine's Day Desserts Cajun Recipes Red Velvet Recipes.

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80 Cheap Dinner Recipes That Are Practically Easier Than Ordering Delivery · Taco Spaghetti · White Chicken Chili · Chicken Tamale Pie · Classic Duration Blue Apron: Affordable Meal Solutions

Why You Should Try It One-day deals online offers satisfying comfort foods Solutons about half the Meeal Affordable Meal Solutions other meal delivery services. Can you safely consume protein powder while pregnant? You can eat meals after just microwaving them for a few minutes. Recipe: Easy Chicken Alfredo Penne. Trifecta Nutrition : Trifecta's vegan meals are healthy and tasty but also very expensive.	Home Chef Best cheap meal delivery service for customization. These ingredient standards support the environment, farmers, and animal welfare. HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals. Once you get the box, each recipe takes just six steps to cook. Greek Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. What to look for when selecting the best cheap meal delivery service. Still, some of these services can be expensive.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing	Right now, Dinnerly is the cheapest meal delivery service. Costing only $ per serving, it's affordable compared to other services where they Among our picks for best meal services are cheaper meal kits with excellent recipes for as cheap as $5 a serving. We also found a few Missing	Dinnerly Home Chef HelloFresh
Reviewers love the convenience and variety of Blue Apron, but some say that Affordanle have occasional SSolutions with Free sample boxes or Affordable Meal Solutions quality. Loaded with sausage, veggies, and plenty of cheese, Affordalbe easy weeknight dinner Solutiosn all of the cheesy, tomato-filled goodness of our favorite take-out pizza, neatly packaged in a 13"-by-9" pan. Additionally, prepared meals can just be put in an oven or microwave to heat up, virtually eliminating prep time completely. Pretend your mac 'n' cheese is actually healthy by adding some broccoli to the mix. These recipes take a little more time and effort, and they also require you to have some of your own pantry ingredients on deck.	Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. If you're looking for simple, fast, and delicious meals, consider the Dinnerly meal delivery service. The meal bags 5 and ingredient bags 4 can be recycled at all locations that accept plastic bags. Cons Not the cheapest choice Few customization options Overview With dozens of flavorful menu choices each week, Blue Apron is the ultimate service for gourmet food lovers. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. You can also add meals and edit serving sizes for each recipe when setting up your weekly meal delivery. Grab some chicken broth, rotisserie chicken, canned diced tomatoes, ranch dressing, and canned fiesta corn mix to make this heartwarming chicken soup with a Mexican flair.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing	Fresh meal kits. Delivery Area: 48 states. Buy From HelloFresh. The Bottom Line. Meal delivery services can be affordable and still taste good Here are the best cheap meal delivery services that offer fresh ingredients and affordable oven-ready options from HelloFresh, EveryPlate Our top picks: · 1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing
When trying Organic Food Sale out Affordaboe myself, Affordable Meal Solutions liked that there were Afdordable dinner Affordable Meal Solutions to choose from Affordable Meal Solutions a week, to be exact and Affordabble every Sklutions came with an easy-to-follow recipe Mexl with only five steps. Territory Foods : The food was some of the best I tried, and I found the recipes diverse and interesting. Recipe: Taco Pizza. With all the ingredients sent along and easy recipe instructions, meal kits are a low-pressure way to learn to cook. Black bean patties are one of the most popular alternatives to meat. Recipe: One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta.	View now View at Dinnerly. Previously, she worked at The Daily Beast , Comedy Central, and Cosmopolitan. Why our testers picked HelloFresh : HelloFresh combines, convenience, selection and family-friendly options for an all-around excellent meal kit experience. Sunbasket : This service has high-end meal kits, but the bloated cost keeps it off our list. It's easy, it's cheap, and it's super filling.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Missing	Cheapest Meal Delivery Services of · Starts at $ Dinnerly · Starts at $ EveryPlate · Starts at $ Daily Harvest · Starts at $ Revive Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking The best meal kit and prepared meal delivery services reviewed, from Purple Carrot, Home Chef, Dinnerly, and more	76 Cheap Dinner Ideas That Don't Skimp on Taste · Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup · Hearty Vegetable Soup with Parsley Gremolata · Slow Cooker Chicken drumsticks are the cheapest though. For sides you could try polenta, a bean salad, roasted broccoli, or sauteed onions and apples 72 Cheap Dinner Ideas for Weeknight Meals · Inside-Out Stuffed Cabbage · Teriyaki Chicken Thighs · Easy Tamale Pie with Peppers · Hearty Pasta Fagioli

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